[lovemykeiki]

I need help figuring out a long-term financial plan. Here are the key points:

1. Mortgage - We Have a high monthly mortgage payment.

2. Other Bills and Expenses

3. DH's business - It was slow last year and may be again this year.

4. My business - I have a small business that is growing

5. In order to continue building up my business, we have a nanny.

Soooo.... the numbers don't add up.

So - what to do?

The only two options I see are to:

(1) Refinance the mortgage and get a lower monthly payment
(2) Get rid of the nanny and put the youngest in daycare/preschool.

Now - let me tell you my thoughts about the nanny. We like having a nanny - for many, many reasons. There are a lot of pros and the only con is the expense. About daycare/preschool - well, there aren't any decent daycare options within a decent driving distance from our house. And there are preschool options - but I'm not thrilled about them, either.

So, you might say - well - work at night after the kids are in bed and on weekends. I WAH, and I've tried that - and it stinks. Ask any WAHP and they will tell you the same.

I really, really, really want to keep the nanny and refinance the mortgage for a lower monthly payment. My DH is resisting. I'm trying to be open-minded, so tell me what you think.

TIA!

 

[Equuskia]

Personally, I would keep the nanny and try to refi the mortgage. I would be reluctant to get rid of her if she is good with your children. Also, check and see if you can deduct childcare from your taxes. I'm pretty sure you can put that on your income tax, as well as other expenses from your WAH business.

I would also shop around for insurance on your car, see if there are insurance companies that can consolidate your home and car insurance (or other insurances you may have) with a discount.

If you're feeling brave, you could post your budget here and we can help you.

 

[lovebeingamomma]

I just saw a Suzie Orman Show with a point about this. What are you expecting in refinancing? You already have a really low interest rate, with the cost of closing on a refinance, it's not going to save you any money! That's what she said lol. So I would look into it and crunch the numbers, it may not be worth it afterall.

What is it you do exactly? Is it something that you could pick up again after the kids are in school? Every considered being a SAHM?

 

[Knittin' in the Shade]

what is your WAH work? I run my own business from home, and yes, working after the kids go to sleep sucks, but you do what you have to do, yk?

$30K for a nanny is a LOT of money, and with your income, it's not something you can afford. You wrote that you have the nanny in order to build up your business, but currently, you are wiping out all your business income (and 5K of DH's income) for the nanny - putting your business completely in the red. Literally, you'll work an entire year and not make $1. You wrote that within 5 years, you anticipate boosting the business income to $50K - which still brings you to just a $20K profit (not counting any other business expenses that aren't factored in) after paying the nanny. Is it really worth busting your tush on your business essentially only to pay the nanny (who you wouldn't need if you weren't running the business?)

If I were in your shoes, I'd get rid of the nanny, and find a mom's co-op that you could trade mornings, so that you'd get kid-free time at much less cost.

 

[Delicateflower]

Why don't you refinance first, then see if you can still afford the nanny? That's a brutal mortgage payment.

Or you could get a part time nanny, save some money on that and spend a bit of evening and weekend time working.

 

[Delicateflower]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovebeingamomma I just saw a Suzie Orman Show with a point about this. What are you expecting in refinancing? You already have a really low interest rate, with the cost of closing on a refinance, it's not going to save you any money! That's what she said lol. So I would look into it and crunch the numbers, it may not be worth it afterall.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but going from a $400,000 15 year to a $200,000 20 or 30 year will drastically drop her payments to about $1500 a month.

 

[lovebeingamomma]

oh duh yeah I wasn't thinking that it was a 15 going to a 30

But still worth researching before deciding on it.

 

[limette]

I don't know what the mortgages are like in the U.S but I just refinanced mine here in Canada. It had 21 years left on it and I refinanced a year early. The interest rate was around 6% and we refinanced for 4%. We paid no fees because the bank we had our mortgage with didn't want to lose our business so they ultimately refinanced at the lower rate a competitor offered us except without the fee.

We ended up keeping the same mortgage payment but cut 5 years off our mortgage. Our mortgage is only $78k so nothing big but still...

 

[mightymoo]

Here are some things to remember. If you have a 15 year mortgage and a 30 year mortgage at the same interest rate and you paid the 15 year payment on the 30 year mortgage, you would pay them off in the same time. Generally 15 year mortgages have lower interest rates though, however a 30 year mortgage with a .5% higher interest rate would only take 9 months longer to pay off than at a 15 year mortgage, if you made the 15 year mortgage's payments. So you can look at it this way - you can refinance into a 30 year mortgage now, while you are trying to grow your business and need extra cash flow, but when things get rocking, go back to paying it like it was a 15 year mortgage, you won't have lost that much ground.

Since the nanny is a temporary expense, you won't be paying her forever - eventually the kids will enter school right? You could go into it with the plan to go back to your higher payment once you are done with the nanny.

It's difficult to say what you should do, because I can't weigh the benefit of working on your business now - you have to decide whether the benefit of working now (and having the nanny) is worthwhile to the cost vs getting rid of the nanny and not working (and therefore not growing the business as much).

 

[Delicateflower]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mightymoo Here are some things to remember. If you have a 15 year mortgage and a 30 year mortgage at the same interest rate and you paid the 15 year payment on the 30 year mortgage, you would pay them off in the same time. Generally 15 year mortgages have lower interest rates though, however a 30 year mortgage with a .5% higher interest rate would only take 9 months longer to pay off than at a 15 year mortgage, if you made the 15 year mortgage's payments. So you can look at it this way - you can refinance into a 30 year mortgage now, while you are trying to grow your business and need extra cash flow, but when things get rocking, go back to paying it like it was a 15 year mortgage, you won't have lost that much ground.

We're planning on getting a 20 or 30 year mortgage for this reason, even though we could cover the payments on a 15 year (or pay it off in 8 years if we were super frugal and disciplined and saved nothing). We'll make extra payments to the principal, but we will have a cushion when we have lean months, in that we'll only be obliged to pay a relatively small amount.

 

[SleeplessMommy]

Can you look into a "nanny sharing" situation? Have one more kid of the same age at your house, and the kid's parents pay half the cost.

My next suggestion - look into ways to cut living expenses - such as reducing electric usage, reducing eating out, etc.

 

[kananaskismama]

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[Magpie1972]

I think I'd be tempted to put my career on the back burner until my little ones were in school. You'd be up 5K right away, not to mention all the other added expense with working out of the home. You are only looking at - at most - 3 years wait. I'd give that up in a heartbeat. I did.

Or I'd work from home and lose the nanny.

I work from home - right now I am 4 kids deep and working becasue of Spring Break but normally it's me and our 3 (almost 4) year old - and while it's do-able, I do a lot after they sleep, before they wake and while DS naps - I feel like it's the best decision for us because we decided to raise 4 kids kwim? It may not work for you - but that would be my suggestion.

And yeah, it does stink some days. Some days it is insane. 99% of the time I love it. It lets me stay current in my industry as well as make money which is helpful, and it allows me to be with my kids, cook meals, and do practices, games, events, be at the kids' school some days, be home over spring break like now, and the like. We enjoy it and I am not sure I ever want to go back to the grind of working in an office.

I do have a housekeeper who comes every 2 weeks to do the deep clean, and I have MIL who watches DS for me in a pinch - but that has only been once this year. We don't have a baby sitter at all. I don't even know one.

 

[D_McG]

I would try to reduce the 75K. Do you have a lot of debt? I don't see how else you could have $75k expenses outside of your mortgage?

 

[Sharlla]

I'd probably just SAH and get rid of the nanny since she's making more than you are.

 

[Delicateflower]

Can I just point out that work isn't always about money?

 

[lovemykeiki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Equuskia Also, check and see if you can deduct childcare from your taxes. I'm pretty sure you can put that on your income tax, as well as other expenses from your WAH business.

Thanks for responding! Just a quick comment, so I can respond to the others - we already deduct her and my business expenses.

 

[lovemykeiki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovebeingamomma What are you expecting in refinancing? What is it you do exactly? Is it something that you could pick up again after the kids are in school? Every considered being a SAHM?

Thanks for the response!

I am expecting a lower monthly mortgage payment.

I'd rather not say what I do for privacy's sake, but I could pick it up again after kids are in school. However, I would rather not be a SAHM.

 

[lovemykeiki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delicateflower Or you could get a part time nanny, save some money on that and spend a bit of evening and weekend time working.

Our nanny is already part-time. I am already working some evenings and weekends as it is.

 

[lovemykeiki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delicateflower Correct me if I'm wrong, but going from a $400,000 15 year to a $200,000 20 or 30 year will drastically drop her payments to about $1500 a month.

I was thinking of going to another 15 year - that is the only way I can get my DH to even *think* about this. He would never consider a 30 year.